Yeah, I was in Korea over the summer and was surprised to see those rip-offs. What a shame to even look at them! My cousin told me that a lot of Koreans are upset with the nation’s automobile industry because they can’t come up with their own original designs. Look at the new Sonata for example… does the rear look familiar? It ticks me off.

Though, at least the Samsung SM models are legally leased from Nissan or however you put it.

That would be Ssangyong, which makes a variety of passenger cars (e.g. the Chairman, based on the Merc S-Class and W124 rvs (e.g., Rexton, Kyrus and new Actyon) and vans (e.g., Istana (based on the Merc MB100 and the successor Rodius and new Stavic) that are vaguely similar to Mercs in design (the designs are independently sourced) but utilize (last current model) Merc mechanicals, inclduing engines, under a licensing deal that dates back to 1991. Ssangyong is now owned by China’s Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation. The price differential with real Mercs, particualrly in Korea, where the price of the real deal would get you 2 at US prices) is extraordinary. A loaded Chairman, e.g., is around 50K, which is less than the Korean price of a Chrysler 300M. For the mechanical equivalent of a S-Class car, albeit without the latest Merc bells and whistles, that’s a helluva deal, regardless of the stodginess of the carriage design.

Oh, and what’s with those Korean Mercedes-Benz ripoffs? Who makes those and WHY? You know what I’m talking about… they produce those blatant, shameful copies of S and E Class Benz. I know it’s a cheaper alternative, but at least come up with a more original design?